LOCAL SOCCER WRAP

Warriors hang on for win

NORTH Geelong grabbed an important away win over the Eastern Lions on Saturday, but coach James Coutts says maturity and growth is needed after a poor second-half display.

The Warriors held on to their 1-0 lead despite some tense final moments and a series of Lions corners, where pushing and shoving from both teams could have soured the result for the away side.

The final few minutes came off the back of a dominant second-half performance from the physical Lions outfit, but North’s defence battled desperately as keeper Hamish Flavell proved the matchwinner, pulling off two remarkable saves late.

“It’s mixed feelings, to be honest. First half I thought we were very good ... second half was not good enough,” Coutts said post-match.

“I’m proud of the result and we showed resilience to the end, putting bodies on the line, but for me we fell into too many traps.”

Frustration crept into the play from both sides throughout the second half with a flurry of yellow cards given late, but fortunately for the Warriors they avoided conceding a decisive foul.

“We need to grow, we need to mature as a group and collectively we need to be better,” Coutts said of his side’s discipline late.

“There were a few things today where we let ourselves down at times, but we had a clean sheet, and won away from home against a very difficult side who do this to teams and beat a lot of teams here.

“There were a few things I didn’t like today and that’ll be addressed very quickly because we can’t have that. I want a team that’s disciplined, that plays the right way and tries the right things.”

Coutts was buoyed by the discipline his side showed in the first half, successfully executing a game plan full of patience and possession to control the tempo of the match.

Ryan Oppermann was brilliant through the midfield and was the deserving goal scorer, finding himself on the receiving end of the creative work of Jamie Noggler and Darius Madison.

In a game where chances didn’t come easy, Flavell’s two stops late were the difference in the Warriors coming away with three points instead of one.

Pictures: DAVID SMITH PURE JOY: Geelong striker Vedran Stojanovic celebrates his late winner against Clifton Hill, as players drop to the deck after the final whistle to end what was a thrilling encounter at Stead Park.